Welcome to ADELA

The GROUP ADELA was born when people and organizations from diverse sectors of Limon became aware of the effects of the seismic reflection explorations performed by an oil company in November of 1999. ADELA has concerned itself with informing and educating the Caribbean community and the political sector about the risks that the petroleum activity carries with it for the Caribbean and Costa Rica, and in defending our model of sustainable development with the participation of the residents in the formulation of better energy practices and polícies . Currently it is promoting a pilot project of fuel based on biomass in the district of Talamanca and exercises its influence so that the country will formulate an energy policy based on reducing the consumption and making use of alternative technologies based on renewable sources.

ADELA is currently working on the planning and development of a pilot project of alternative energy based on biomass, in conjunction with a local organization and the Municipality. It seeks to utilize the agricultural waste products of bananas and plantains as raw material to produce biofuel.

1. A decision handed down by the of the Supreme Court held that the extrajudicial arbitration could not proceed as the Arbitration Board of the Center for Conciliation and Arbitration of the Costa Rican Chamber of Commerce “lacks jurisdiction to rule on any controversy arising between the parties as the matter is pending before the courts”, according to Vote No. 000744-C-06, of October 5, 2006.

2. The oil company Harken Costa Rica Holdings is demanding $13 million from Costa Rica in damages for the suspension of their contract to develop oil and gas along the Caribbean coast. They also seek to reactivate the contract in orderto resume activities in the Caribbean province of Limon. The company has filed claims for indemnization in an arbitration requested before the Chamber of Commerce and before the courts.

3. The oil company HARKEN CR in 2005 filed a judicial claim before the Administrative law Court in San José to vacate the resolution by MINAE to terminate the contract signed between the country of Costa Rica and Harken Costa Rica Holdings LLC. HARKEN insists on reactivating the same contract and collecting multi-million dollar damages from the country.

Members of the group ADELA are collaborating in the legal process with the legal assistance of Justice for Nature to support the Attorney General in defending our interests.

4. Harken is formally challenging before the Court the right to participation of local civil society in the process. In August 2006, the lower Court rejected Harken’s position and upheld the community participation in the lawsuit, affirming the right that these sectors have to be a part of legal processes that could affect their environment and their way of life. However, the company has appealed this procedural holding to a hirer court in order to exclude from the case all the community members and environmental organizations of ADELA that in the past have successfully opposed the oil concessions in the South Caribbean. They argue that the lawsuit concerns a subjectmatter which is solely technical in nature without any environmental consequences.

5. In the elections for Mayor of the Municipality of Talamanca, ADELA has brought the issue to the debates. We have been pressing for a continued Moratorium on Oil and on Dec. 3rd the winning candidate, Rugeli Morales declared his active support for ADELA and clearly denounced any petroleum or mining explorations in the Caribbean.

6. In Central America, indigenous communities in Belize have also won the right to demand an Environmental Impact Study from their government in their struggle to save their lands from US companies that are attempting to exploit petroleum within protected areas. Members of ADELA visited the ngo SATIIM in southern Belize to share experiences. For more information visit: www.globalresponse.org/ | http://www.satiim.org.bz/

7. Acción de Lucha Antipetrolera (ADELA) is once again seeking funds to cover the costs of this new phase of the campaign in Costa Rica, especially for the legal defense of our judicial collaboration. You can make donations to our account at the Banco Nacional de Costa Rica: